SV Nereida reaches midway point of round-the-world bid

On March 1 (day 131), Jeanne Socrates passed the halfway point in her solo, non-stop circumnavigation.

Since departing Victoria on October 22, Nereida has traveled 13,247 miles. According to Socrates, she must sail a minimum of 12,700 more miles to finish her trip.

A successful circumnavigation would make her the first woman to circle the world after departing from a point in North America. It would also give her the honour of being the oldest female to sail around the world solo and without stopping.

As impressive as these feats are, for Socrates it’s all about pushing herself.

“Regardless of whether this attempt succeeds… it will give me great personal satisfaction and sense of achievement,” she said.

She passed Cape Horn on January 7 and 35 days later completed her Atlantic crossing by rounding the Cape of Good Hope on February 11.

The rounding of South Africa proved to be a tale of extremes—“several times I was either becalmed or needing to heave to in very strong conditions.”

Socrates has suffered some equipment failures and damage that may slow her down including a problem with her main that has forced her to keep it permanently reefed. She no longer has any working wind instruments, despite attempts to repair them. Her satellite phone seems to have broken as well so she is relying on her SSB radio to keep in contact with shore. Despite these setbacks Socrates forges on into the Southern Indian Ocean and hopes to round Tasmania near the end of March.